Mellieħa Libertas 74
Starlites Fijo 92
(17-23, 18-23, 18-22, 21-24)
Game one of the BOV Men 2022 Finals best-of-five series had ended with a tight 77-74 Starlites FIJO win.
Fast forward one week and this time, Starlites managed to register a more pronounced victory over Mellieħa Libertas who tried hard to keep contact but a patch between the end of the third quarter and the start of the final session, and an 18-1 run, proved crucial leading to Starlites’ win.
Mellieħa had a sprightly start with five consecutive Austin Wrighten points, including an initial trey, only for Starlites to reply with a brace of Alec Felice Pace long-rangers followed by the first Jacob Bates’ hoop in the game.
It was a fully balanced affair when CJ Cordina copied Wrighten with five points of his down-the-trot and play continued to be shared at both ends for a tight 23-22 Starlites’ lead very early in the second quarter.
Midway in the second rubber, the Naxxar side registered a 10-2 run to move 35-26 ahead with Bates and Myles Thomas grabbing most of the buckets.